Everywhere You Look
by Lex-the-time-traveller
Summary: A series of shorts about the Alex Riker and his younger siblings. AU
1. Babies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek: TNG, nor do I own Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon." Not making money off this, as great as it would be to write fanfics for a living.**

 **Chapter 1- Babies**

Wes and I agreed to babysit while my parents go on a well-deserved date-night. It's hard watching them be as exhausted as I'm always seeing them.

They get a year of parental leave, which is nice. It's also ironic thinking of them being on "leave" while still being on the ship. I wish they left the quarters more, I really did. Their situation looks really lonely and isolating, but at least they have each other.

They've just left. My siblings, who are now 10 months old, are in their high chairs. Side note, high chairs get really gross really fast. Anyway, they have this baby food that's meant for the transition to solid food so it's like these complete nutrition pellets that are pretty soft and remind me of pet food. It's baby kibble, essentially. My parents gave me strict instructions to not help them eat because they need to learn to put the food in their mouth themselves. Judging by their tone I had to wonder if they were symbolically trying to tell me something.

Annnnd Ana just threw a pellet at Max. Max threw a pellet back. Back, forth, back, forth. I hope this isn't foreshadowing to the type of people they're going to be for the next 18 years. Although then I'd look like a better child in comparison because there's only one of me.

Of course breaking up the food fight makes them both cry, and then I'm cuddling Max while Wes is cuddling Ana trying to make them both stop.

"I almost want to stun them with your phaser to make them stop." I joke to Wes.

"Honesty, yeah." He replies. Of course we weren't actually going to do that.

There's a song Mom sings to them, that she sang to me. But it's in Betazoid so I don't want to mess it up. So I sit on the couch and get both twins in my lap and go for dad's go-to.

"Fly me to the moon

Let me play among the stars.

Let me show you what it's like,

On Jupiter or Mars."

By this line they were calmed down so I place them on the floor to play with their toys. Wes sits next to me, puts his arm around me, and we kiss.

"You have a pretty good voice!" He says, surprised.

I tried to suppress a chuckle, but I couldn't help it.

"The choir teacher at Rixx Prep was the strictest, meanest, most demanding teacher there. Not the math teacher or the literature teacher, the choir teacher! I needed an arts class and it was the hardest one!"

This made Wes laugh. "Is that why you got yourself kicked out?" He jokes. "To get out of choir?"

"Naw… so." I gather my thoughts. "There was the usual stuff of skipping class and partying and the like. That stuff used up my warnings and suspensions."

"How do you get suspended at boarding school?"

"I had two week-long suspensions that I had to spend at my grandmother's house. She dealt with a lot of the school stuff cause she was on the same planet, and stuff. Anyway, as much of a partier as I was, I always looked out for people and wanted them to be safe, putting their safety above mine! So I harbored many the drunk and hungover classmate in my room, secretly of course."

"So you had a mini sick-bay in your room." Wes smiles.

"It gets better. So, people who are drunk or who have…misused… certain flora of the planet, are at risk of injuring themselves. But they can't go to the school nurse because then the school would find out that they were doing things they weren't allowed to. So this one kid, who lived in the room next to me, punched a window."

"Ooo." Wes made a cringe noise with a cringe expression.

"And he couldn't go to the nurse because then the school would know we were… rule breaking. So I picked all the glass out of his hand and cleaned the cuts. I then sewed up the tendon he'd cut in the process and all the places where the glass had been taken out of. Sewing supplies stolen from one of the art rooms, of course. I had to break myself in. It was kind of fun. No, fun's not the right word. _Invigorating."_

"Wow!" Wes replied.

"I did the same thing to someone else's head after their head went through a window during a fight."

"How many windows did you guys break at that school?"

"Just 2." I reply, a little too casually. "They made us do custodial stuff to work off the cost of replacing them." I burst into laughter. I shouldn't, but I do. "So they finally expel me because I was "harboring misbehaved students" and because I knew all the not-allowed stuff everyone did and never said anything."

"Then why were your parents so pissed?" Wes asks. "That sounds like something they'd be proud of."

"Because of the way the school described it in their "Disciplinary Report." It was vague and skewed to make me look as bad as possible. The day I got back to the ship I wanted to explain my side of it but they kept cutting me off. They were going to ground me for the rest of the school cycle. But during dinner I got my side in and then they felt bad and lifted it. Then they could be kind of awkward, I think from the guilt of being mad at me for helping people. It's weird, they in part were disappointed I wasn't at that school but I could tell they kind of liked having me back."

"Do you think the twins will go?" Wes asked.

"I don't know, I can tell my mom's already trying to connect them with the culture more. But I can't remember when I was a baby so maybe I wore these Betazoidian baby clothes and heard her speak to me primarily in Betazoid too. The effort she's making, though, is hard to ignore."

"Like she's compensating?"

"Yeah."

We pause and watch the adorable twins playing.

"You know why they sent me?"

"Culture, right?"

"Well, there was the culture aspect, and the safety aspect after Rubican III and Aldea." I pause. The memories were a little… intense. "But what pushed them over the edge was my mom had this bottle of sacramental wine. Being 15 and an idiot I just saw it as access to booze and drank all of it and had to go to sick bay." I pause and cringe. "And what I did was culturally insensitive and blasphemous and appropriative but I had no idea what it was. And of course I pled ignorance because I was genuinely ignorant. And that was the last straw."


	2. Winter Break

(Alex and Wes are 19, home for winter break from his sophomore year at The Academy.

Ana and Max are 3)

I make my way from the transporter room with my duffle bag in tow. After finishing my last exam, I took a shuttle craft to the nearest star base so I could beam to the ship. Wes is on a different schedule than me, and still has an exam tomorrow, so I should see him in a few days. We get a month for winter break.

I almost walked into the wrong quarters. Dad became captain about two months ago so everything's been moved. This will be my first time in the new quarters, which in my mind are still Picard's quarters.

I walk in and am hit with a strange feeling. Sure, in my head these are still "Picard's," but my parents really gave the space their own touch. It's like I'm in my old quarters but bigger. Between not knowing what room is what and not wanting to make any assumptions and being super exhausted from finals I instantly fall asleep on the couch.

After however much time passes I hear the door open, but I'm too tired to react.

"Aww, the Cadet's passed out on the couch after finals. Ain't that familiar." It's my dad's voice. I can almost see his facial expression based on his tone.

"Don't you dare." I mumble.

"Dare what?"

"I dunno."

I hear him chuckle. I still haven't opened my eyes.

"Up!"

"Nooo."

"Up!"

"Shuddup."

"Don't say shut up to me. Up!"

"Fine." I mumble and force my eyes open and sit up.

"Raktajino." I tell the replicator.

"Finals tough?" My dad asks sympathetically.

"Yeah. But I think I did ok."

"Good! So your choice is to get the dining room ready for dinner or to pick up the twins from preschool. Your mother is on an away mission and won't be home until around 8."

"I'll get the twins." That should be cute, right? I chug the Raktajino as fast as I can.

"Careful chugging in uniform." He says as I put the cup down.

"Aye, sir." I say sarcastically. That got a laugh out of him.

I go to get the twins from their school room. I video chat with them often enough that they know who I am. They run up to me in this adorable stampede.

"Hey sibs!" I say, picking them up with one in each arm. I kiss the tops of both of their heads.

"Alex!" Ana says in that adorable toddler voice.

"Ana!" I reply, mimicking her tone.

I put them down, thinking I could walk them back, until I realize they're too short and I'm too tall to walk holding hands with them. So I pick them back up and walk back to the quarters, where dinner is all set up. Mac and cheese casserole _a la replicator_. Some good "home cooking." The twins dive into it an immediately get it all over their faces. I'm waiting for one to throw their food at another.

"Why is your school so far away?" Max asks with giant puppy dog eyes.

"Cause it's a special school for grown ups." I reply .

"Why can't you go to school here?" Oh just tug at my heart strings why don't you?

"Because grown ups have to go to grown up school."

"Do I have to go to grown up school?"

"If you want." I reply.

Mom walks in. The twins stop everything and run to her.

"Hello, hello!" She says, endeared by them.

"How was the mission?" I ask.

"Oh, it got cut short for reasons I'll tell you later." She sighs as she sits down. "How are you?"

"Finals were good, had a good nap, kids were happy to see me."

"Good." She pauses. "You look so adorable in that Cadet uniform."

"I'd look more adorable in a Cadet uniform!" Ana interjects.

"Well then study hard and you can show me!" My mom says to her.

About an hour later, I see my mom reading the twins a story. She's sitting on the floor leaning against the couch and they're in front of her. I feel a bit of jealousy, as stupid as it sounds. I wasn't read to that often, cause they were new, inexperienced parents with me and they would come home exhausted and not know how to fake energy for my sake. Just them my mom stops reading and turns to me.

"Come on." She says, smiling. "You're my kid too." She gestures to come over. I put down the book I was reading and sit in between the kids, putting an arm around each of them. This is nice.


	3. Runaways

**Twins- 12 Years old**

 **Alex- 28**

It's 9am and I can barely keep my eyes open as I walk back to my quarters on board the USS Cassiopeia after a 16 hour graveyard shift in Sickbay as a Junior Medical Officer.

I unlock the door to my quarters and thought at first it was the exhaustion getting to me. I thought I saw my kid siblings eating nachos on my couch.

"Hi Alex!" Max says with his mouth full. I rub my eyes.

"How… why… you two… here?" I am too tired for this.

"We ran away." Ana says smugly and matter of factly. "The Enterprise was just passing by in transporter range so we snuck into the room and just went for it. You don't mind, right?"

"Guys, this isn't a Galaxy-Class ship. It's a Centaur-Class. It's not designed to have families and kids on it."

"We're kids, and we're on it." Max says sarcastically. The last thing this ship needs is a mini-Alex.

"Guuyyss." I mumble, slash slightly whine. I'm trying not to sound mad. I'm not trying to sound impressed. But I feel both. "Ok, you know what? I'm going to take a nap. I am going to wake up at 1 and give myself 30 minutes to eat and shower. And then we'll have a talk. Ok?"

They nod.

"OK?" I press.

"Yes Alex."

"Good."

I go in my room, set an alarm, and am out like a light until 1. When I am showered and dressed, I step out of my room to find that they are gone.

"Computer, where are Max and Ana Riker?"

"Max and Ana Riker are in Corridor 7."

I tap my Com Badge. "Counselor Lopez, are you free for an appointment at 2? I have an interesting situation involving runaway siblings."

"Of course, Lieutenant."

"Thank you counselor."

And so I went to Corridor 7, and eventually found them a little ways off.

"Hi sibs!" I say from behind. They jump. They were touching a screen they should not be touching. "We have an appointment. It would be rude to be late."

"Are we in trouble?" Ana asks with puppy dog eyes.

"No, we're just going to talk with the counselor to _explore_ how and why this happened."

Both twins make a face. I sense disgust.

"No, why can't you just lecture us and we ignore you?" She replies.

Ok so counseling was the perfect idea.

"Because this kind of behavior can be an indicator of a larger thing." I say steadily, trying to channel Mom while almost accidentally mimicking her accent. "Let's go."

And so we show up at Lopez's office. It's smaller than Mom's, it being a smaller ship. Counselor Lopez gets up and greets all three of us, and I sit between them on the couch. They hate me right now.

"So, what brings us here?" Counselor Lopez asks. The twins stare blankly at her. I'm sensing defiance.

"Your side can't be heard if you don't talk!" I remind them.

"Mom and Dad suck, and Alex is cool, so we ran away to live with Alex." Max finally spits out.

"And why do they… 'suck'?" Lopez asks.

"Because I got an F on my math test and they grounded me. That is fascism!" Max snaps back.

"How did they respond exactly?"

"When you get a C or below on something you have to get it signed. So I usually forge their signature. But I left my bag unzipped and they saw it with some other assignments that were… 'signed'… and they flipped out!"

"So you violated their trust by forging their signatures."

"Well… yeah… but I had to! Or else they'd be mad that I got bad grades."

"And how do they get mad?"

"They rant." He replies bluntly. "And rant. And rant. And then our mom tries to psychoanalyze us cause she's a counselor like you. And then she rants."

"And why do you think they rant?"

"Because they don't like us and want to change us to fit their 'perfect child' mold." Ana joins the conversation.

"And what is this mold?"

"Oh, you know. Straighter hair. Blue eyes. A little over 6 feet tall. Doctor." She turns to glare at me.

"And how is Alex talked about at home?"

Well this feels weird for me now.

"Alex is a doctor. Alex graduated from the Academy with honors. Alex would have never done that. I took Alex on an away mission once." Ana said mockingly.

"And is this from one or both parents?"

"Both." She replied.

"What kind of things did they say I'd never do?" I ask, confused.

"Like hacking the replicator or hacking the computer to turn back the clock so we could sleep in."

"Fair." I reply bluntly. At 12 I wouldn't have known how to do those things.

"So why did you run away?" Lopez asks Ana.

"Because I got grounded for getting a C in history!"

"Why did you get a C?"

"Because I don't like it!"

"Ok, this is my question for both of you. Do you think your parents "rant," as you say, because they love you and want the best for you?"

They both nod sheepishly.

"And don't you think that the parent that says nothing cares less?"

They both nod again.

"And so your parents caring about your doing well in school makes your galaxy-class captain's quarters home unlivable?"

They shake their heads.

"And they want you to have the brightest futures possible, so they want you to learn all you can!" Lopez says enthusiastically. She is one of the most motivating people to be around.

The sheepishly nod a third time.

"So how about you two go home, apologize, and keep searching for knowledge." She concludes. They nod. I sense a lot of guilt in both of them. And pity directed at me in Lopez.

The walk back to my quarters was silent. When we get in, I video call my parents and tell them that the twins are safe with me and that they had ran away. Unfortunately, they both fake cry and say that they did it because they "missed me so, so much and just wanted to see me." And maybe because Mom couldn't sense their lies over the video call, she and Dad believed them. And they were off the hook, and I have another graveyard shift tonight. This is a great form of birth control.


	4. The New Post

"Ok I only have 30 minutes." My dad said over the vid-call with a 50/50 ratio of desperation and deviousness. It was 4 in the afternoon and he had intense bags under his half open eyes and the hair on his head and face was uncharacteristically unkempt. It looked as if he wasn't doing the elbow-on-table-with-hand-on-forehead maneuver, He wouldn't be able to keep his head up.

"Listening."

"Your mother had to go help her mother with God-knows what for the next month and a half and I am bursting at the seams!"

"How so?"

"Do you know how hard taking care of two mischievous 12-year-olds with _2_ adults _one of which_ is an empath? Being a captain, especially of this ship, and being solely responsible for two kids who don't like rules, is running me into the ground. Just today, I have to meet with their teacher because they started a _tribble breeding_ _business_ and were selling them to people. And some got loose. And I just don't have the time to deal with that kind of stuff!"

"Where did they get the tribbles."

"I have no idea! Listen. I need you to come over here and help take care of them because I can't handle them alone and they've shown me I can't leave them alone!" He paused and breathed. "Besides, they miss you." Well that was guilt inducing. "And you were once once of them so you'd be be a big help." Also guilt inducing.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do. What day do you want me?"

"As soon as possible. Look, I'll pretend it's an assignment so you don't use up any of your leave. As far as your Captain knows, you have a full time short-term assignment on the Enterprise _which would look amazing_ on your resume. And it would be harder for her to not let you go."

"Is that legal?"

"It's an assignment. It's a nannying assignment but it's still an assignment."

"Abuse of power."

"Shut up. So will you help me?"

"Sure."

"Great!"

And so it begins.

They were playing some board game with Data when I walked through the door around 3:30 PM that Friday. It was such an adorable image.

"Alex!" They both squealed, dropping the game and running up to hug me.

"Hey, guys!" I said.

"Ana and Max have been teaching me this old Earth game, _Monopoly._ I have found it an interesting exercise in probability as well as an intriguing look at socioeconomic structures in 20th Century Earth." Data chimes in.

"I'm joining." I say, sitting down. I'll be the horse. Why not?

Max rolled a 7 and landed on Ana's property.

"Pay up!" She says, tapping the table.

"Once you have their money, you never give it back!" Max smirked.

"And war is good for business. Pay up."

"The Ferengi are a rather… offensive species to us…." Data began.

"Relax, it's a joke." Ana cut him off.

"Yeah, relax." Max joined.

"Guys, that's really not in good taste." I try to bring it back.

"We're taking power away from them with humor!" Ana responds optimistically. "Come on, we're hilarious."

"I know plenty of clean jokes!" Data joins in.

"Like what?" Max asks cynically.

"Why was 6 afraid of 7?"

"Because it couldn't understand it's humor?"

"Because 7-8-9!"

"Guys, come on, that's hilarious!" I say, trying to get them to cooperate.

"What did 0 say to 8?" Data goes in for a second joke. He's having fun with this.

"You need to be on your best behavior while Mom's away?" Ana smirks.

"No, it said, Nice belt!" He responds. "That is, if numbers were sentient beings. Which is a part of the humor."

I am genuinely entertained by this. Wow, I'm becoming a lame adult. But I kind of like it.


	5. The Job

"Alright, Alex is in charge tonight because I have to interview someone to replace Dr. Crusher."

"But how can he be in charge if he has an interview?" Ana playfully asked, making direct eye contact while widening her eyes.

"We've been over this."

"But Daaad…"

"We just want him to live with us like normal siblings do." Max joined in.

I am trying my best not to laugh but this is kind of hilarious.

"Beverly is pursuing a professorial position at The Academy and the twins have been petitioning for me to give you her job since they found out." My Dad explained.

"Aww, that's so nice of you two!"

"We just want our family together…" Ana said in that guilt tripping tone, looking at him. And I sensed a wave of guilt in him. A big wave.

"I'll think about it." He replies steadily. "I have to get going." He said standing up. "You have the bridge, Alex." He jokingly said, nodding.

"Aye, Sir." I smiled back. The twins were weirdly quiet until he was out the door.

"You're welcome." Ana said, deadpan.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard her." Max said. "Us. You're welcome."

"Are you guys my career counselors?"

"We're gonna to get you the job, and you're gonna thank us." Ana replied.

"You guys are too cute."

"Can we go race go-karts in the Holodeck?" Max asked.

"It's a school night." I reply. "And if you don't get your work done it would look bad on me and I wouldn't be considered for any position."

They both scoff at me and go to their rooms. It was then I realized I had no idea what to do with myself. Anything fun involved leaving. And it's not like any of my old friends are here. Not that I'm stuck in the past, or anything. This feels like being grounded.

So I fetch my old handheld video game device and play through a bunch of old favorites while drinking wine. It takes away from that "grounded" feeling from before.

Ana pops out about 45 minutes later with a data pad.

"I looked up the person Dad's interviewing and you're just as qualified." She says with a tone of authority beyond her years. The way she said it and subsequently the way she sat down next to me on the couch made her seem like a Bridge Officer trapped in a 12 year old's body.

"Are you done with your homework?"

"Almost. I have barely any left. And this is my break. Anyway, 2 ships, graduated with honors, did the 5 year medical program, _you're the same."_

"Is this person 28?"

"31. Close enough. I don't see why being 28 would keep you out of it anyway. It's just a number."

"It'd be on the young side."

"So?"

I love her confidence.

"Maybe he needs to hear it from you." She says with eyes lit up.

"Maybe he needs to hear _what_ from you?" Our Dad was standing in the doorway. We didn't notice him walk in.

"That he's just as qualified as any of your candidates." Ana went back to that 12-year-old officer tone.

"Look, Ana." He said gently. He walked over and sat next to her on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I know you and your brother miss him. But I can't just snap my fingers and grant him this position. It's more complicated than that."

"Then snap both fingers!"

"Ana…"

"He's the one that stayed up all night with me holding my hair when I got food poisoning!" She said in the same tone, referring to when we were visiting our grandmother and were forced to choke down some disgusting Betazoid dish.

"That's…"

"And whenever he was over and Max or I skimmed our knees or stubbed ourselves on the furniture?"

"It's more complicated!" I could tell by his tone he wanted her to stop talking. But I sensed a mixture of guilt and regret from him.

"Don't be a hypocrite." She replied while standing up and walking back to her room.

"Sometimes she has these moments where I swear she's Tasha's reincarnation." He smirked, looking down the hallway where the bedrooms are. "She would've loved her."

"How was the interview?"

"Ok, I guess. Something was off. Superficially qualified, but lacking that…. spirit that gets you through the high pressure moments. You know what I mean?"

"That spirit that makes you come up with creative ways to solve problems?"

"Exactly! It's just that they… were good at repeating the textbook but couldn't come up with their own ideas."

"Mere prattle without practice is all their scholarship?" I smirk.

"When did you read Othello?" He relies, impressed.

"I had to write lines from it as punishment when I was 14. Picard caught me doing… something… and he gave me the choice of that or telling you and Mom." I say, laughing.

"What did you do?" He asks, laughing.

"I'm not telling! I didn't write those lines for nothing!"

"Well alright then!"

"So you need someone with more… sticky situation skills?" I bring the conversation back.

"Yes! And nobody has them! They're all too sheltered! We need more people who… I dunno, got out of a death sentence at 14 and learned early how to outsmart people!"

"Those people are pretty hard to come by." I say jokingly. Those references were about me. Not that he'd give me the job.

"The Cassiopeia's lucky." He says. I really sense the guilt building up in him now, like pressure building up inside a container.

…..

 **The Next Morning**

It was around 10:30. I got hit with a wave of pain and distress. I could tell it was Max's.

My senses indicated an intense physical pain beyond just a scrape. It was probably a broken bone or a sprain. It would be mid morning break time for him. I grab my med kit and head towards the school area.

I find him in the rec gym near the classrooms, where many go for their mid morning break to play pick up sports. He was on the ground at the sideline, holding his right ankle, with a clenched jaw and closed eyes.

"Hey, bud." I say soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Can I take a look?"  
He nods. I take out my scanner.

"Looks like you sprained your ankle dude."

He nods. His facial expression hasn't changed. I gently work his shoe and sock off and give him a local painkilling gel. All the tension in his face went away. By this time the last of the other kids had gone back to class.

"I hurt myself playing basketball." He said quietly.

"That's OK. Let's tape this up."

"Why do I suck?"

"You don't suck."

"I suck! I'll never be one of the athletic kids no matter how hard I try!"

"But you're good at drawing and telling jokes and playing the cello!"

"But I wanna be _athletic_!"

"I bet the athletic kids wish they could do things that you can do!"

He pouts.

"I think you're awesome just the way you are." I say as I finish taping. I carefully kneel so that he can get his hands on my shoulders to piggy back him back to our quarters to rest. As I do this I see my Dad and Dr. Crusher near the door. Quietly observing.

"How long were…"

"Since the gel." My Dad cuts me off, smiling. He walks over to rustle Max's curly mop of hair. "How did you beat me here? The teacher called _me._ "

"I sensed his pain right when it happened."

"Well call it a hunch but I bet you get that from your mother."

He and Beverly exchange a glance.

"Well, as you were!" He says before he and Beverly turn to walk back to The Bridge. "Heal up, Max!"

 **5 hours later**

"That… was… genius!" I hear Ana from down the hall. I'm back playing old video games in the living room.

"What was?" I hear Max.

"Injuring yourself so that Dad _and_ Crusher could walk in on Alex… Alexing. So they could see _why_ he needs the job."

"I mean… it was genius. But I didn't do it on purpose."

"Then fate did it on purpose!"

I don't deserve this level of being looked up to.

 **One Week Later**

Mom came home early. She didn't have to stay as long as she thought. It's mid afternoon and she's venting to me and my dad about her mother over tea.

Ana and Max come through the door.

"Mom… you're back early." Max says, unevenly. I can sense they're happy to be back, but there's also this element of sadness in both of them.

"I didn't have to stay as long as I thought." She replies with a perplexed tone. "Are you two alright?"

"Well… It's just that… now that you're back it means Alex has to go back. And we won't see him for a long time." Max stutters.

"I'm not going back before the day I said I'd go back." I say reassuringly.

"It's just that, this was the first time you were just _here_ , you know? Without it feeling like you were visiting. It was so nice having you just living with us like a normal sibling would." Ana says.

"Exactly!" Max piggy backs on her statement. "It's not fair that we never get to see you!"

I really don't know how to reply.

My dad makes eye contact with me and gestures that we step outside.

"You're really good to them. And good for them." He begins in the corridor. "And at your job… and at sticky situations." He pauses. "And I know it might look like nepotism, and I know I might regret putting you in a position where you can give me orders." He pauses and chuckles. "But Beverly and I were talking after what we saw in the rec gym, and I'm going to offer you the job."

"Really?" I can't believe it.

"Really." He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll take it."


	6. The Period

A week has passed. We're on the way to dropping Beverly off at the Starbase where she'll get a ride to Earth. Earlier in the week she'd given me an orientation of sorts for this sickbay, one that she had prepared to give to anyone given the job. For the next few days she'd pop in from time to time to check on me, but now she's turned control over to me completely.

"Alex!" Ana frantically hobbles in in, clutching her stomach. I jump down from the table.

"What's wrong?" I ask. Of course I could just use the symptom scanner but in some situations, like this one, it just feels a little soulless to go straight to that. Especially because it's 1pm on a Wednesday and she's supposed to be in class right now.

"Something weird is happening!"

"What kind of weird?"

"My… stomach and… this area." She hovered a hand over the uterus area. "Really hurts. And… there's blood… gushing out. I don't know what's happening!" She said, holding back tears. By the last word she broke down and buried her face into my chest. "Am I gonna die?" She murmers.

"No, you're not going to die." I say calmly while stealing my mom's hair-petting technique, which is harder on curly hair. "It's just puberty."

"Computer, where is Deanna Troi?" I ask.

"Deanna Troi is on the Bridge."

"Computer, where is Beverly Crusher?"

"Beverly Crusher is in Ten Forward."

I tap my badge. "Ensign Samuels."

"Samuels here."

"Samuels, can you retrieve Beverly Crusher from Ten Forward and bring her to sickbay?"

"On it Sir." My medical ensign replies. It's weird being called Sir around her.

"This is a part of puberty?" Ana looked up, horrified.

"Beverly is going to explain everything." I pause. "Do you want something to make the pain stop?"

She nods desperately.

"Do you want me to sneak it?"

She continues the desperate nod with huge puppy dog eyes.

"Ok lie on your back and close your eyes with your palms facing up." It's a modification of a Betazoid meditation technique mom used to use when we had to get shots. I get the hypospray while she does that.

"Now breath deeply, from your stomach. In…out…in…out."

I begin tracing clockwise circles in the middle of her forehead with my fingers. The 12 to 6 o'clock downstroke synced with the inhale, the 6-12 upstroke with the exhale.

"Once upon a time, The beautiful princess Anastasia lived in a treehouse with her pet dragon… Jeremiah."

I move the circles to her cheeks. "One day, the evil Ferengi prince wanted to marry her. But Princess Anastasia wasn't an idiot and knew what that would entail."

I change the cheek circles to tracing her entire jaw line. Left to right, then right to left, back and forth. Beverly walked in at this point and started watching from the doorway.

"And so she said 'no way.' and kicked him in the crotch and Jeremiah breathed fire on him. And then they raided his pockets and used the money they found to buy a huge castle…" I sneak in the hypospray now without pausing the story. "… and they put the Ferengi Prince's head on a stake as a decoration at the castle gates…" I change my jaw tracing to placing each hand on her cheeks with my thumbs on her forehead, with slight pressure. "…And they lived happily ever after. You may open your eyes when you feel ready."

She slowly opens her eyes and sat up, looking around nervously.

"Hi Ana!" She says sympathetically. "What's going on?"

"Um." Ana's embarrassed. I sense it. She feels awkward. "Insides turning against me."

Beverly pauses. "Ah. Ok…." She looks around. "You live with too many boys. Let's go have girl time." And they walk out together. It was endearing, like the daughter Beverly never had that weirdly looks like one of her best friends.

—

 ** _Third Person POV_**

"Ana, what you are experiencing is called a menstrual period. It is a part of how female bodies function from around your age until around the age of 50." Beverly began explaining. She'd first taken Ana to her quarters to take a shower, change her clothes, and put in her first pad (after a brief explanation). Afterwards, they sat next to each other on her bed.

"So it's like this every day until I'm 50?"

"No, no that would be horrible! It typically lasts for a few days to a week once per month. Starting out it may feel random but your body will get into a rhythm with time."

"But _why_ does it have to happen?"

"So, for the last year or so your body has been changing."

Ana nods nervously.

"And you're moving from a child's body to an adult's body." She pauses, trying to keep her words slow and steady.

"And your body is growing into a body that has the physical ability to get pregnant at your discretion."

Ana cringes.

"And so once a month or so, a special organ called your uterus creates an environment for a baby to grow, and your _ovaries."_ She paused to make sure she knew what ovaries were. "…release an egg cell. If you were to fertilize the egg, that egg cell would become a baby. But when you do not, your uterus releases _everything_."

Ana nodded, hugging her knees.

"This is nothing to be nervous or ashamed about."

Ana nodded.

"Do you know what a hormone is?"

Ana nodded.

"So _all_ of this happens because of hormones. And the hormones can play with your emotions, so you might suddenly crave a certain food, or feel really sensitive, or sad, or angry, or stressed, or even really flirty. This can happen during the period, or right before, in something called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS."

Deanna walked through the main door and paused when she sensed her daughter and Beverly. She slowly walked over to the ajar door.

"There's a pre-period too?" Ana replies, horrified.

"Yes." Beverly nods sympathetically.

Deanna knocked softly. "Ana?" She murmured. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Ana replied softly.

Deanna carefully crept in to the sight of Beverly with a maternal arm around Ana, as if she were her own child. She sat down on the opposite side, put her own arm around her, and kissed the top of her head.

"Do you have any other questions?" Deanna said softly, taking over for Beverly.

"Is there some kind of hypospray to make me not get it?"

"No baby. I know, it's not fair. But they have one for the pain."

"I don't like this." Ana scowls.

"I know, but it's a part of growing up."

"Then I don't wanna grow up!"

"Alex tried that. But if he could accept adulthood, so can you."

"Alex doesn't have to deal with _this!_ "

"Yes, but he has his own stuff."

Ana stared back in disbelief.

"Anyway, it's tradition to buy a girl chocolate when she gets her first period. Let's go to 10 Forward."

The three have an intense group hug before getting their fill.


	7. The New Substitute Gym Teacher

"Children, due to the untimely leave of absence taken by Ms. Mckay at the end of the last cycle, I am going to be taking over as your physical education teacher for _this_ cycle." Worf pronounced, while pacing back and forth in front of the row of students. This class contained 10 students- 2 10-year-olds, 3 11-year-olds, 4 12-year-olds (including Ana and Max), and one 13 year old- Worf's son Alexander. They were used to sitting on the bleachers before the activity started, but Worf made them stand at attention in a straight line.

"I found your Terran-based curriculum much too soft. You will find that my Klingon-inspired curriculum will be much more… beneficial to you. You will prove your strength of character and body in the last week in my specially designed Final."

He silently walks back down the row. "Don't give me that look!" He stares directly into Max's eyes.

"What look… Sir?"

"That look I used to see on your older brother's face. I know that look. You're looking for a way to _defy_ me. But it won't work. Take 3 laps."

Max didn't move for a few seconds, not realizing he was serious.

"I said MOVE!"

And move he did.

"You can't pick on him!" Ana interjects.

"I will not have you undermine my authority."

"I just did."

"4 laps."

"3." Ana replied smugly.

"6!"

"4."

"8." Worf sneered. "Go." He pauses. "If anyone wishes to follow the example set out by our captain's children, speak." Worf proclaims. The crowd was silent.

"As I was saying." He began after both twins returned to the line. "This is a game played by Klingon children. The name roughly translates to Blood Ball. You will be in two teams. You will throw the ball at someone from the other team. The person hit will lie down and pretend to be dead. The person nearest the dead will avenge their team mate's death by crossing the line and attempting to tackle their comrade's killer. If the avenger succeeds, their opponent is dead. First team to run out of people looses. Klingon games have no concept of what you call 'fouls.'"

—

"This guy. Is. a. MANIAC!" Max snapped once they were out in the corridor.

"He's horrible! Doesn't he get it's _just gym?_ " Ana replied.

"It's like he thinks he's bulking us up for war!"

"I know!"

They reached a fork in the corridor.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ana turned to Max.

"What?"

"That way goes home." She pointed left. "That way goes to sickbay." She smiled smugly.

Max paused for a few seconds, then grew a similar grin and nodded.

"Do you think he'd do it?" He asks.

"I never said anything about him." Ana replied. "He'd probably get all lame and tell us how we can't fake medical excuses to skip class."

"What will we say on the note?"

"Romulan Mono." Ana joked. "Naw but we'll think of something, we just have to get the notepad first."

"You distract him." Max said.

"No you distract him!" Ana snapped back.

"Rock paper scissors?"

"Rock paper scissors _shoot_."

"Scissors cuts paper." Max gloated. Ana made a face.

"Ok I have an idea." She said. "Wait around the corner for about 10 seconds, but if I don't get him looking away just hang back longer."

Max nods.

Ana took a moment to think of sad things to get past Alex's Betazoid senses. There were no tears, though, because she didn't want to go overboard and be less believable.

"Ana, are you ok?" Alex ran up to her as she entered Sickbay and wrapped her in his arms. She shakes her head.

"Can we talk in a back room?" She fake-whimpers.

"Of course, kiddo."

With a hand on her shoulder, they walked to an empty operating room around the corner.

"Can we shut the door?"

"Of course, whatever you need." Alex said, shutting the door. He invites her to sit next to him on the operating table.

"How do you know if someone likes you back?" She said, looking up at him.

"Well, do they treat you the way you want to be treated?"

Ana nodded.

"Well, love always has some risks, but you never know if you don't put yourself out there! Just be nice to them and hang out and go from there."

"What if you like two people at once?"

"Well… if everyone agrees to it you can have a three person relationship. That's a thing. Or if not, follow your heart for who you'd rather be with."

Ana nodded.

"But the important part is that you do what makes you feel happy and safe."

"Thanks, Alex!" She replied cheesily.

"Are you ok?" Alex asked, taken aback.

"Yeah, why?" She replied, breaking character.

He looked at her skeptically. "I'm sensing bullshit."

Ana took a breath.

"And now I'm sensing nervousness."

"Ok, fine, you caught me." She paused. "I just wanted to spend time with you because you work so hard."

"You see me at dinner." Alex replied guiltily.

"Yeah, but I've had so much homework lately I haven't been able to really hang out with you!"

"How much do you have tonight?"

"The usual."

"How about you get super focused on your homework after dinner and then we can play a game or something at 9 or so."

"Yeah!" Ana nodded.

"Sounds like a plan!" Alex smiled and kissed the top of her head.

—

"You got it?" Ana asked Max out in the corridor.

"Yeah, right here!" Instead of stealing the notepad, he stole two pieces of paper and already forged the notes.

"Excellent. You wouldn't believe how hard that was. He almost caught me, but I saved myself with the 'I just wanted to spend time with you' angle."

"Genius."

—

"Mr. Worf, we're excused from class, we have doctor's notes!" Max said the next afternoon.

"Let me see." He says skeptically. He took them, glanced at them, and ripped them in half and handed them back.

"That doesn't exist. And furthermore, you spelled it wrong, And f _urthermore_ , I don't see how you two would run into that problem if it _did_ exist."

"What did you write?" Ana whispered to Max.

"What you said- Romulan Mono." He whispered back.

"Damnit Max that was a joke now we look like idiots!"

They noticed Worf's icy glare and that he had heard the entire conversation.

"Forging doctor's notes is highly illegal." He replied.

"Yes, Sir."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do I need to put you two in the brig?"

"No, Sir."

"No, Sir."

"Good. You two can do a special workout while your friends play."

—

The twins got home to see their parents, brother, and Worf all talking in the living room with annoyed and disapproving looks on their faces.

"Not so fast." Riker said looking over as his kids tried to sneak into their rooms unnoticed. "Sit. Both of you."

They sheepishly sat on the floor around the coffee table.

"Apologize. Now."

"Sorry Mr. Worf."

"Sorry Mr. Worf."

They said slightly out of synch, but with the same sheepish tone.

"Thank you."

"Apologize to your brother for lying to him and manipulating him."

"Sorry Alex."

"Sorry Alex."

Alex hated seeing his siblings like this. They had the same, giant, black, puppy dog eyes that he could never be mad at for that long.

"It's ok, guys." He knew he was supposed to say something along the lines of "thank you" or "apology accepted" but he couldn't bring himself to.


End file.
